The role of ultrasound in assessing musculoskeletal symptoms of systemic lupus erythematosus: a systematic literature review.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

Musculoskeletal symptoms are common in SLE and are associated with significant morbidity. However, assessing their nature can be challenging, with implications for treatment decisions and measuring response. US has been shown to be valid and reliable for the assessment of other inflammatory arthritides, but data in SLE are more limited. The objectives of this systematic literature review were to determine the characteristics of musculoskeletal US abnormalities in SLE and to evaluate the metric properties of US in the detection and quantification of musculoskeletal symptoms.

Methods

We systematically searched the literature using the PubMed, Embase and Cochrane Library databases for studies using musculoskeletal US for assessing SLE. Studies were assessed for quali

SUBMITTER: Zayat AS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5854027 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature